The Winnipeg Electrical Co Homework Series Fuzz is a germanium fuzz pedal built on a two-transistor Fuzz Face circuit, but with a control set borrowed from the Zvex Fuzz Factory 7. Where a classic Fuzz Face gives you two or three knobs, this one gives you seven, including Stability, Gate, Compression and Body, which opens up the gated, starved and self-oscillating territory that Fuzz Factory-style circuits are known for1.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson reviewed it in April 2024 and placed it closer to the Fuzz Factory 7 than to the original five-knob Fuzz Factory, with a fairly similar but not identical set of controls and an interior circuit somewhat differently set up and calibrated. He also found that with Volume and Drive around 2 o'clock it delivers what he called the absolute perfect Fuzz Face voicing12.
The circuit and where it came from
The pedal is, in Karlsson's words, "a Germanium, two-Transistor Fuzz Face with Fuzz Factory 7-style controls"1. That means the signal path is the simple two-transistor germanium arrangement of the classic Fuzz Face, while the control panel behaves like a Fuzz Factory: the extra knobs let you bias, starve and gate the circuit rather than just set its level and amount.
The transistors are ASY33S parts, which Karlsson describes as "military specification equivalents of AC128s"1. The AC128 is the germanium transistor used in the classic Fuzz Faces of the late 1960s, so the Homework Series Fuzz keeps that lineage while using a MilSpec variant of the same device.
One difference from the Zvex original: the Fuzz Factory 7's second Tone Defeat footswitch is absent here1. Otherwise the control count matches, which is why Karlsson called it "a very decent take on the full-fat Fuzz Factory (7 controls)" when he first covered it alongside the Homework Series Blues in January 20244.
The controls
Seven knobs shape the fuzz, several of them doing things a standard Fuzz Face never does12.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level |
| Stability | Bias / Starve / 9V, sets how stable or starved the circuit runs |
| Drive | Amount of fuzz |
| Gate (Threshold) | Controls guitar-volume cleanup and feedback whistle |
| Tone (LPF) | Low-pass filter, rolls off high end |
| Compression | Sets the fuzz's compression character |
| Body | More low end to less low end |
The recommended starting settings from the review are Volume at noon, Stability at maximum (the full 9V position), Drive at noon, Gate at minimum, Tone at minimum, Compression at minimum and Body at noon1. From there, the interesting knobs are the ones a Fuzz Face does not have. Stability covers Bias, Starve and the 9V supply point in one control, so turning it down pulls the circuit away from full power toward gated and spluttering sounds. Gate handles the cleanup you would normally get from rolling back your guitar volume, and sets where feedback whistles break through1.
What reviewers said
Karlsson's verdict was strong on both sound and value. On sound: "This is one of the very best 2-Transistor Fuzzes I've experienced"1. In Guitar Pedal X's December 2024 roundup of the year's best new fuzz pedals he summed it up as "This one is warm, rich and fat - a fantastic sounding fuzz for sure!"2. On price, the April 2024 review called it "an absolute bargain" at $199 CAD, around $150 USD or less than £12013; the December 2024 roundup listed it at $1452.
"This is one of the very best 2-Transistor Fuzzes I've experienced"
The Homework Series family
The Fuzz sits in a Homework Series alongside two siblings that take similar approaches to other classic circuits.
- Homework Series Blues: a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver style overdrive, boost and fuzz with Volume, Tone, Gain, Low, Mid and a Voicing/Mode switch for Fuzz or Normal. Its 3-band EQ has broad range, and Karlsson found it very close to the Robert Keeley Freak Fuzz Modified BD-2, with greater EQ range and a slightly different flavor of fuzz. Listed at $130 USD in January 2024 and $145 in December 202456.
- Homework Series Metal: an HM-2 format distortion, described as a rather more refined take on that circuit, suited to vintage Heavy Metal, Shoegaze, Stoner Rock and fuzzier sounds, and working on bass. Priced at $199 CAD, around $150 USD3.
Videos
Winnipeg Electrical Co.
Winnipeg Electrical Co.
Questions
What is the Winnipeg Electrical Co Homework Series Fuzz based on?
It is a germanium, two-transistor Fuzz Face circuit with Fuzz Factory 7-style controls. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer described it as a Fuzz Factory style pedal that sits closer to the Fuzz Factory 7, with a fairly similar but not identical set of controls, and an interior circuit somewhat differently set up and calibrated.
What does the Stability knob do?
Stability covers bias, starve and the 9V supply point in one knob. Turning it changes how the two germanium transistors are biased and fed, from a stable, full-power fuzz toward gated, starved and unstable sounds. The maker's recommended starting point is Stability at maximum, which is the full 9V setting.
What kind of transistors does the Homework Series Fuzz use?
It uses ASY33S transistors, which Guitar Pedal X describes as military specification equivalents of the classic AC128 germanium transistor. Two of them make up the fuzz circuit, in the style of a two-transistor Fuzz Face.
How much does the Homework Series Fuzz cost?
Guitar Pedal X listed it at $145 in its December 2024 fuzz roundup. The earlier April 2024 review gave the price as $199 CAD, which the reviewer said amounts to around $150 USD or less than £120 GBP.
What is the Homework Series Blues?
A sibling pedal in the same Homework Series, built around a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver style circuit with Volume, Tone, Gain, Low, Mid and a Voicing/Mode switch for Fuzz or Normal. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer called it one of his favourite takes on the BD-2, comparing it with the Robert Keeley Freak Fuzz.
Sources (6)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-04-26
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-18
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-02-20
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-01-24
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-01-26
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-16
